Hermetically sealed package



Nov. 23, 1937. H. E. TOWNSEND HERMETICALLY SEALED PACKAGE Filed Feb. 18, 1955 .d mn w mm m I mnflvm W U T E 91 m I Patented Nov. 23, 1937 PATENT OFFICE 2,099,711 nanma'rromr SEALED PACKAGE Harry E. Townsend, Brooklyn, N. 2.; Title Guarantee and Trust Company executor of the estate of said Harry E. Townsend, deceased Application February 18, 1933, Serial No. 657,388

Claims.

My invention relates to packages, and has special reference to packages of the type in which.

a glass jar, tumbler or other receptacle is closed by a cap, usually of sheet metal, that is pressed 5 downwardly over the month 01' the receptacle into sealing position on an elastic gasket which is seated on a shoulder spaced a distance below the upper end of the receptacle, the cap being held sealed partly or entirely by atmospheric l0 pressure. g

The object of my invention isto provide a novel and improved package of this character.

The several features of the invention will be clearly understood from the iollowing description and accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a package embodying the features of my invention in their preferred form;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the closure of the package as it is about to compress the gasket:

Fig. 3' is a similar view showing the closure in sealing position on the mouth of the receptacle; Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line- 4-4 of Fig. 1, showing the manner in which the bowl of a spoon or other more or less wedge-shaped implement may be used to remove the closure from the receptacle, the closure being shown partially liite'd;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of a modified iorm shown with the closurein sealed position;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6'6 of Fig. 3.

My improved package as illustrated in the drawing, is of the type of the one described and claimed in my pending application, Serial No. 638,741, filed October 20, 1932.

My improved package, as illustrated in the drawing, comprises a glass jar 2, a closure or cap 4 which may be made of resilient sheet metal as customary, and an elastic gasket 6.

The jar is provided with a cylindrical mouth a portion 8, and is further provided, at the bottom of the cylindrical portion, with a narrow annular shoulder I 0 arranged substantially horizontally to provide a seat for the gasket 6, and a downwardly and outwardly sloping surface l2 below 5 the gasket seat.

c The gasket '6, which is preferably substantially square in cross section, is positioned over the cylindrical mouth portion 8 of the jar and on the seat ID. The gasket is made slightly smaller in 5 diameter than the cylindrical mouth portion so as to cause it to tend to hug the mouth portion when placed thereon.

The cap 4 is provided with a depending skirt having a cylindrical crown l4, an outwardly extending portion l6 and a downwardly extending portion it. The downwardly extending portion i8 is cylindrical and the outwardly. extending portion It is preferably horizontal. The lower edge of the downwardly extending portion I8 is curled over to provide a stiffening bead 20.

When the cap is to be sealed on the jar in a vacuum sealing machine, it is first placed over the mouth of the Jar and restslightly on the topthereof, the gasket having been previously positioned on the mouth of the jar. Owing to the rapidity with which the operator must place the caps on the jars, the caps are almost always placed in an unlevel condition, partly on the top of the jar and partly on the gasket. The jar, with the capthus initially positioned thereon, is then placed in-the sealing chamber of the machine, the air exhausted from the Jar, the cap pressed down to sealing position by mechanical means, air re-admitted to the sealing chamber to surround the jar, and the mechanical pressure on the cap released. Atmospheric pressuretogether with other means to be described, then holds the cap sealed on the jar.

' Glass jars as commercially used are notalways round, a considerable percentage having mouth portions that are slightly elliptical. Obviously, the crown of a cap used to seal such a jar must be large enough in diameter to fit over the major axis of the mouth of the jar. When, therefore, a cap so made is used on Mar the mouth portion of which is round, the cap willrusually not be accurately centered on the jar, and the gasket engaging portion of the up will engage the gasket nearer its outer edge on one side or the jar than on the other, causing the cap tobe sealed unlevel on the jar. This not-only tends to make the seal insecure, but results in an' unsightly package, and makes the stacking of such packages for display purposes difficult and unsafe.

In the illustrated construction, in order to insure that the cap shall be accurately centered on the jar when it is pushed down to sealing position, the jar is provided with projections 22 adapted to engage the cylindrical skirt I8 01' the cap, and centre the cap on the top 01' the receptacle, even when the crown and skirt portions of the cap are larger in diameter than the adjacent portions of the receptacle.

In the package herein described, the shape and proportions of the gasket, the gasket seat on the receptacle, the gasket compressing portion of the cap, and the manner of compressing the gasket are all preferably the same as in the package described and claimed in my said pending application, Serial No. 638,741. The package of said pending application is also provided with projections for engaging and centering the cap during the sealing operation. In the package of the pending application, however, the projections are on the cylindrical mouth portion 01 the jar, above the gasket seat, and are adapted to engage the cylindrical crown of the cap. In the present'construction the projections are below the gasket seat and are adapted to engage the cylindrical skirt it of the cap. In the present construction, the cylindric mouth portion 8 of the receptacle and the cylindrical crown portion ll of the cap, are relatively short, and the downwardly extending portion l8 of the cap-relatively long. A groove 24 is provided in the outer wallof the receptacle a slight distance below the gasket seat III, the upper wall of the groove and the gasket seat forming the bottom and top walls or sides of an annular ledge. Thegroove 24 forms a continuation of the sloping surface l2. Also, asiin the prior construction, the lower edge of the skirt of the can when the cap is in sealing position on the jar, is somewhat spaced away from the sloping surface I2 to permit the insertion, between "the skirt and the slopingsurface, oi the point of. awedge shaped implement such as the. bowl of a spoon 25. In the present construction, the inward movement 01' theimplement is arrested by the engagement of the end thereoi with the ledge above the groove 24. so that there is no danger of violent displacement of the cap or gasket as they are removed.

" Some products, such as hot preserves, can not be sealed in a high vacuum. In this case the unbalanced atmospheric pressure available for holding thecap sealed, on the receptacle may amount to very little. When the receptacle and cap-are used for sealing suchproducts, thejfrictlonal engagementof the projections 22 'may" aid materially in holding the cap in gasketicompressing position on the jar until the contents coolrsumciently to create-.a substantial vacuum in the package. This is particularly true when the projections are formed as shown in Fig. 5, with their lowerportions tapering downwardly and inwardly. With this construction, when the cap'is forced into sealing position, owingto the resiliency oi the cylindrical skirt portion it reinforced by the head", the lower edge of the skirt tends to lock beneaththe adjacent portions of the projections, thisbeing caused by the tendency of the reinforced lower edge of the cap to return to its circular form after being distorted as it passes over the outer extremities of the projections.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, my invention permits various modifications withoutdeparting from the spiritthereoi' or the scope projections with the lower edge of said skirt reinforced below the outer extremities of said projections so as to tend to cause the closure to lock beneath said extremities.

4. The combination of a receptacle having a cylindrical mouth portion, an annular gasket seating ledge adjacent the lower end of said cylindrical mouth portion and a downwardly and outwardly inclined annular face below said ledge,

closure having a, flat top portion'and 9. depending skirt portion adaptedto compress said gasket on said ledge, said closure being applied by forcing it downwardly over the mouth of the receptacle, the lower edge of the skirtof the closure being a substantial distance below the top of said inclined face of the receptacle and being spaced a substantial distance outwardly therefrom, whereby the closure may be removed by the insertion of a wedging or prying tool between an elastic gasket positioned on said ledge, and a said lower edge of the skirt and said inclined face,

the under side of said annular ledge being adapted to limit the inward and upward movement of the wedging or prying tool to prevent violent displacement of the closure or gasket.

v5. In a package of the type comprising a receptacle having an annular sho'ulderfiormed in its outer wall a distance below its upper end, an elastic gasket positioned onthe-annular shoulder, anda closure made of. resilient sheet material having a depending skirt provided with a portion adapted to compress the gasket on the shoulder 'oi the receptacle and havingan annular portion .below the gasket compressing portion, the said skirt above and below the gasket compressing portion being spaced from the outer wall ot; the

receptacle, the improvemen'twhich comprises a plurality oi spaced. projections formed on the outer wall of the receptacle, below "the annular shoulden'ior engaging said annular. portion.

whereby when the closure is pushed down to sealing positionon the receptacle itis properly centered on the receptacle by said projections.

6. The combination 0! a receptacle having an open end, a closure having a rm, top portion and a depending skirt portionadapted t0-be placed over the open end of the receptacle, and a gasket adapted to be compressed between opposed facesof the receptacle and closure, the receptacle being provided with adownwardly and outwardly inclined iace positioned a distance below its upper end and the lower edge of the skirt of the closure when the closure is sealed on the receptacle being a'substantial distance below the top of the ln-' clined face and being spaced a substantial distance outwardly from the said face, whereby the closure may be removed from the receptacle by inserting a wedgingor prying implement between the said inclined face and the said lower edge oi the skirt of ,the closure, the receptacle being provided with an annular portion projecting outwardly above the top of the said inclined face to limit the inward and upward movement of the said wedging or prying implement.

7. A package comprising a receptacle having an open end, a closure having a depending skirt positioned over said open end, and a gasket, the wall of said receptacle and said skirt having portions engaging opposed sides of the gasket, and the outer wall of the receptacle below said gasketengaging portion being provided with circumferentially spaced projections for engaging the skirt of the closure when ,the closure is pressed downwardly over said open end, said projections causing the closure to be'accurately centered on the receptacle.

8. A package comprising a receptacle having an open end, a closure having a depending skirt positioned over said open end, and a gasket, said receptacle and said closure having opposed faces engaging opposite sides ofthe gasket,and the outer wall of the receptacle below said gasket engaging portion being provided with circumferentially spaced projections for engaging the skirt of the closure when the closure is pressed downwardly over said open end, said projections causing the closure to be accurately centered on the receptacle.

9. A package comprising a receptacle having an open end, a closure having a depending skirt positioned over said open end, and a gasket, the said receptacle and said skirt having portions engaging opposed sides of the gasket, the skirt of the closure extending a distance below the gasket engaging portion and being spaced slightly from the wall of the receptacle, the improvement which comprises the wall of the receptacle being provided with projections for frictionally engaging the skirt of the closure below the level of the gasket, said closure being applied by forcing it downwardly over the mouth of the receptacle.

10. In a package of the class described, a receptacle having a downwardly and outwardly sloping surface spaced a distance below its upper end, a closure for the receptacle having a depending skirt spaced outwardly from said sloping surface and extending a distance below the .top thereof, said receptacle and closure having opposed gasket-engaging faces, and an elastic gasket positioned between said faces, the space between said sloping surface and said skirt being unobstructed whereby a wedging implement may be freely inserted between said sloping surface and said lower edge of the closure to d splace the closure by wedging action.

HARRY E. TOWNSEND. 

